One Thousand Words
by CourteneyxD
Summary: Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton grew up to be very different people. Philip's rash and rakish attitude turns Theodosia away when she first reconnects with him in the fall of 1800, but little does she know that under this exterior lies the quiet poet that she grew up with. After a night of dancing, Theodosia begins to warm back up to her childhood friend.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! This is my first Hamilton fanfic and I hope you guys enjoy it! All characters are based off of Lin-Manuel Miranda's _Hamilton_. **

* * *

Prologue

One didn't think of Aaron Burr without first thinking of Alexander Hamilton, or vice versa. Since the Revolution, the two were inseparable, even if not always in friendship. People expected their children to behave the same toward each other. Since Philip Hamilton and Theodosia Burr were born only a year and a half apart, everyone expected them to grow up friends. So it was a shock to almost everybody when the pair's children didn't become similarly thick as thieves. In fact, the eldest children of the two men couldn't have grown up to be any more different.

Her father's daughter, Theodosia grew up to be a proud intellectual, excelling in both mathematics and languages. Before her mother's death, Theodosia learned to play piano quite skillfully, often providing entertainment for her father's guests. She often kept to herself and never made a spectacle; she saw enough popularity while trailing her father's life as a politician. Philip Hamilton, on the other hand, grew up to be a near perfect replica of his father both physically and mentally. He attended King's College like his father did, finishing at the top of his class. However, Philip was not known for his academic prowess; the entire city knew about Philip from his fanciful exploits. Almost everybody could recall the time he was found naked in a closet with Emily Munroe or the time when he showed up to his younger sister Angelica's birthday ball roaring drunk.

Growing up, it was clear that the children of both prominent politicians, Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton were nothing like each other.


	2. Chapter 1

**Here you go! The actual beginning to the story! Enjoy!**

 **~Courteney**

* * *

August 1800

Of course Theodosia had heard of Philip Hamilton. She had practically grown up with the boy. So it was no surprise when his name appeared once again on the front page of the New York Journal. "Scandal!" it read, "Rake Philip Hamilton Seen on Broadway with Mystery Woman!" Theo rolled her eyes. He just couldn't seem to sit still for one minute; there was a different girl hanging on his arm every other week. Last week it had been Elizabeth Grant. Two months ago he and Catherine Detty were practically inseparable. Plainly speaking, Philip was a sleaze – a regular Casanova. She wondered what young tart had caught his eye this week. Perhaps it was Charlotte Peterson; Theodosia had noticed them smiling at each other quite often during Eliza Hamilton's dinner party.

She noticed a lot about Philip throughout the years. Ever since she could walk, her parents would arrange for her to have play dates with him. And every time their fathers would meet to discuss politics, the two children would be left alone to play, sometimes for hours. For a while, they had been friends. Theodosia would help Philip with his French and he would show her how to relax while playing the piano – he said it sounded better when the player was relaxed. In their childhood, the two had been best friends. There had been a time when they knew everything about each other. Then when Philip was nine, he went off to a boarding school in New Jersey and she saw him less and less. When she saw him that Christmas, a month after he left for school, the influence of other the other boys was clear. Instead of sitting down to talk or play with her like he always had, Philip opted to chase Theodosia around the parlor with a decapitated rabbit's head he had found in the yard. It was after that that they started to drift apart. While he was at boarding school, she saw him around the holidays but his rambunctious attitude often annoyed Theodosia, so she stayed away from him, playing instead with his younger sister Angelica.

Just three years or so ago, Philip came back to live at home to attend Kings College and then graduated a few months back. Since he had come home, Theodosia had visited him a few times, but his new rakish attitude was not one that she was akin to. So, instead, she limited her visits to the younger Angelica Hamilton. She saw Philip at balls or dinners, but they never talked anymore, nor did he ever ask her to dance. Instead, he chased the heels of promiscuous young harpies who often had no problem giving him a quick toss around in a coat closet.

Sure, she was sad to have lost a close childhood friend, but Theodosia had many more friends who didn't delight in making a walking scandal out of themselves. She glanced back down at the newspaper in her hands detailing Philip's latest adventure. Annoyed, she tossed the paper down without reading the rest of the article; she'd seen far too many about the boy in the past three years.

"Angry at the newspaper, are we?" her father asked, peering at her over his morning cup of coffee.

"Oh no, not angry," she laughed, "Just nothing of substance this morning." She took a sip of her tea before elaborating. "Another Philip Hamilton scandal." She said the name of her former friend with an undeniable sneer.

"Another one?" Her father hardly sounded surprised. "You would think that after three years, his adventures wouldn't be so scandalous anymore." He took a second to finish writing whatever missive he was working on before handing it to a nearby butler. "What is it this time?"

Theodosia picked the paper back up and turned it so that the front page was facing her father. "A 'mystery woman' on Broadway." She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

His father would _kill_ him when he saw the morning paper. After Philip's latest drunken exploit at Angelica's birthday, his father "forbade" scandals. So of course he would be furious when he saw the front headlines. In short, Philip was a dead man. He had left his house hours ago out of fear of punishment and had been walking the streets of New York trying to make himself as discreet as possible. He had woken up around 8, dressed, and went downstairs where he saw the maids gossiping over a newspaper bearing his name. He had promptly snatched it from their hands and scanned the article which recounted his midnight rendezvous with Sarah Phillips the night before. He thought he had been careful that night, but the newspaper would indicate otherwise.

As he walked down the street, he could tell everybody was talking about him. Ladies talked behind fans and their own hands and men would nod in his direction before suggestively nudging their friends. It was already past noon and half the city was out and about running errands or making visits. There was nowhere he could hide. But he had absolutely no intention of going home to his no doubt seething father. He knew the lecture by heart already: "This is not what we do, Philip. A man's reputation is his honor. You would do well to keep yours unblemished and intact."

Philip sighed and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. He'd walked up town twice already and he was starting to get bored. He searched the crowd for a friendly face, but, much to his dismay, he found nobody. Perhaps it was time to head home. After all, the longer he avoided his father, the angrier he imagined he'd become. He'd only seen his father truly angry a few times, and many times that anger was directed toward his comrade and enemy, Aaron Burr. However, one time Alexander had caught Angelica kissing a young man at a New Year's ball – that made him truly angry – the house was full of yelling for at least a week. The thought of having to bear his father's wrath for a whole week seemed almost unbearable. Philip shuddered and decided to head home, turning around and running straight in a young woman who yelped as his body collided into hers. He looked down to help the woman up of the ground and smiled a childish smile upon seeing his old friend.

"Theodosia Burr," he drawled, "I didn't expect to see you here." He lifted up her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"I do live here." She said cuttingly, pulling her hand away. She never once met his gaze but instead invested a great deal of time in brushing invisible dirt off her skirts.

"I suppose you are right." He frowned a bit at her edgy tone. Philip remembered being a fond friend of hers, but she apparently seemed to remember things differently. "Well I do apologize for running you down."

Theodosia finally looked up at him, her eyes neither kind nor angry. Instead, a mischievous glint he recognized from childhood twinkled in both eyes. "Well, Philip, I must admit I am surprised. I didn't think you fell upon women unless it was midnight on Broadway." She gave a sarcastic curtsy and promptly turned away. With a flick of her hand, she added, "Do have a good day."

Philip was left speechless in the middle of the street. He hadn't had a real conversation with Theodosia in at least eight years and he was certainly surprised at how this one had turned out. He let out a long breath. Apparently everybody read the morning paper today.

Everybody including his father had read the morning paper. As soon as Philip walked in the door, Angelica was there to greet him with a taunt.

"Philip, Papa is _so_ angry with you." She poked his nose and laughed. "I've no idea what you've done but it must have been very scandalous." She whispered the last word in a sultry voice.

"Shut up, will you, Angie." Philip gritted, pushing her shoulder.

"Come back to me alive!" she called playfully as he made his way begrudgingly up the stairs towards his father's study.

Philip had made the trip up to his father's study many times; each visit always ended the same way. Philip would be sent to apologize to his mother and siblings and he would be confined to his room for one whole day. It had become such a routine procedure that when Philip was seven, he discovered a way out of his room that nobody knew about. But something told him that this punishment would be different. He just didn't know _how_ different. After his father's very own scandal three years prior, he took affairs with women very seriously. The last time Philip was caught with a girl, his father exploded, saying, "Scandals like these can undo a man! These things ruin lives, Philip. Don't behave like I did. I did not raise you to be weak!" From then on, he had made sure to be very careful and discreet while sneaking around with a girl, but he must have missed something this time.

The door to his father's library was always able to instill fear into Philip. The door itself wasn't anything special, just a plain slab of wood, but it was the knowledge of what lay beyond the door that made Philip's heart quicken. As children, he and his siblings were never allowed to enter the room. The only times they were let inside were when Alexander needed to give a lecture or punishment. The fearful stigma of the room stuck with Philip into adulthood, and as he stood in front of the door, he found himself unable to knock.

"Philip Hamilton," his mother's soft but stern voice interrupted the silence, "I suggest you go in there." She nodded towards the door.

"Mama," Philip moved towards her, "Please, I-"

"Oh, no," Eliza's hand shot up to stop him, "You'll find no solace out here in the hallway, Philip. I'm none too happy with you. I did not raise you to treat women that way – as fun little adventures in the night."

"Mama, you're right. I'm sorry, but please-" he made another move towards his mother. If he could just get out of this _one_ meeting with his father, he would be golden.

"Go, Philip." She pointed to the door.

"Yes, Mama." Philip obliged, hanging his head before knocking on the door.

He knocked on the door quickly, as though knocking quickly enough would cause his father to not hear him knocking. He had no such luck though, as a second later his father's decisive voice could be heard from behind the door saying, "Come in". Philip sighed and mustered up all the courage he could and put on a charming face – it always seemed to work for his father.

"Pop," he greeted jovially, with his most debonair smile. "How are you?"

"Sit down Philip." Alexander said, devoid of emotion. He didn't even look up from his documents when Philip entered.

"Yes, Pop." Philip said quickly, his smile fading as he sank into the seat on the other side of the desk. A couple minutes of silence passed as his father finished looking over whatever documents he had been reading. When he finally finished, he tapped the papers against the desk and set them off to the side before taking off his glasses to look at Philip.

"Well," he began, folding his hands underneath his chin, "Since you slipped out of the house so early this morning to avoid punishment, you've given me the perfect opportunity to come up the perfect punishment." Alexander smiled a bit.

"Dad," Philip laughed, mostly out of nervousness, "Come on. You were nineteen once. You've said it before. Hell, I even heard from Mr. Burr that you were quite the rake in your day! Cut me some slack, and I promise I won't do it again." He leaned back in his chair, not sure he had convinced his father even the slightest bit.

"Oh, now don't try that with me, Philip." His father sounded angry but Philip could detect the slight glint of amusement in his eyes. "The difference between you and me is that, when I was nineteen, I was fresh off a boat from the Caribbean and I had no reputation to uphold. Lucky for you, I built a reputation for you and you would do me well to uphold it." He laughed before adding, "You're doing a piss-poor job, son."

Philip opened his mouth to launch a retort back but thought better of himself. After years of experience, he could tell his father was set in a decision.

"What is it then, Pop? What would you have me do?" He imagined all the terrible scenarios his father could come up with. Once when Angelica had gotten herself into trouble, she had to copy down forty pages of one their father's law books by hand with no breaks, except to relieve herself.

"Well, as I said, you gave me plenty of time to settle on this idea, and I believe to be quite the spectacular idea." His father gave a large genuine smile, honestly pleased with himself, before continuing. "Actually, upon further reflection, it's not much of a punishment at all."

Philip exhaled, relieved. Perhaps there would be no punishment after all.

" _But_ ," his father continued, smiling, "It was a brilliantly symbolic idea, so I think it'll do."

Philip immediately sucked in the breath he had just exhaled in relief. _Damn._

"I give half the credit of this idea to your mother – a brilliant woman, she is. What I want from you is a good reputation, naturally. And the way I want you to do that is this: you must come to every social function that I, your mother, or your sister attends and you are, under no circumstances, to be seen with a girl of ill repute. No sneaking off with anyone or whispering in any ladies ears. _But_ , you must dance and hold conversation. With respectable young ladies. Should I hear of any other behavior, there will be severe consequences."

"Wait, that's it?" Philip asking in disbelief. "Just _stay away_ from women of 'ill repute'? Well, damn, Pop," he laughed, "I can do that." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, a large smile on his face.

"You think that now, Philip, but, like you said, I was nineteen once. I know as well as you do that an easy chase and a closet rendezvous is always fun. And don't forget, I have people all around readily willing to report back to me regarding your behavior."

"Damn, Pop, I know. I won't let you down."

"Well I should hope so, Philip. Your first test is tonight. Margaret Wildes' annual autumn ball - we'll all be attending."

* * *

All Theodosia could think about was how tight her corset was. She had gone out with her friend Heidi about a month ago to special order the ball gown and when it was delivered to her house, she discovered she needed to tie her corset a little tighter than necessary. She immediately regretted her decision. Naturally, the theme for Mrs. Wildes' ball was "autumn colors". However, Theodosia was never a fan of warmer colors; her closet was a collage of blues and purples and blacks. When she visited the seamstress, a deep burgundy silk had immediately caught her eye. She ordered the dress with a square collar and half sleeves, with lace ruffling around the sleeves. She had instantly fallen in love with the creation. Until she put it on.

"You'll be able to breathe once you start dancing, Theo." Her friend peeped up next to her, breathless. The beautiful daughter of a wealthy trader, Heidi Miller was always the highlight of every dance and dinner party. Young men were swept away her long golden hair and striking green eyes, not to mention her rather _gracious_ bosom that Theodosia never failed to tease her about. It didn't hurt that Heidi was a renowned flirt, either.

"Or I'll be less able to breath. Like you." She poked Heidi in the ribs, causing her to hunch forward.

"Oh don't be so sour, Theo. It'll loosen up your dress and your corset." Heidi was cut short when a young man whom Theodosia didn't recognize approached her and asked for a dance. She seemed noticeably tired, but Heidi accepted the offer anyway, quickly twirling back on to the dance floor.

The heat from the ballroom was giving Theodosia a headache, so she made her way towards the table holding a large bowl of lemonade. On her way there, she noticed the Hamilton family's grand entrance out of the corner of her eye. They made no spectacle out of entering, but everybody always turned to watch when they walked in the room. Alexander and Eliza always made a striking pair, always walking in arm-in-arm. The two eldest children, Philip and Angelica, always followed close behind, often dressed better than half the crowd. Whenever Philip made his way to the stairs, he would begin smiling and nodding at ladies scattered around the dance floor.

Theodosia had turned away to drink her lemonade when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Philip Hamilton, wearing a hellish and rakish smile.

"Theodosia Burr," he practically purred, mimicking his tone from earlier in the day, "I had hoped to see you here." His eyes were charming and kind, and Theodosia found herself thinking back to the time when they had been friends.

"My father _is_ a prominent public figure, just like yours, Philip. I do attend almost every social function." She hid behind her glass of lemonade, wishing to put anything and everything between her and Philip Hamilton.

"Funny, I suppose I've never seen you at one. No surprise there, seeing the way you hug the walls like an old maid. With a face like yours, I'm surprised you're not dancing with every man in New York." He winked and flashed a crooked smile, and Theodosia could tell this was anything but a compliment.

"Philip, you disgust me." She knocked back the rest of her lemonade, slamming her empty glass on the table behind her. She had every intention to walk away but was stopped by the sound of Philip's voice.

"Ah, so you've discussed me? Teddy, I'm honored." He placed his hand on his chest in a dramatic and sarcastic attempt to act flattered.

"I'm glad, Philip." Theodosia said, turning to walk away.

"Dance with me, Theodosia!" he shouted, just as the music ended. Half the ballroom turned to look in their direction and Theodosia winced. _God damn that boy._ He had shouted his request in the middle of the ballroom, making it almost impossible for Theodosia to turn down his offer in a socially proper manner.

"I'd be delighted to take the next dance with you, Philip." She said through gritted teeth, taking a cautious glance back towards the crowd. _Oh, hell_ , she thought, setting her jaw.

Philip smiled broadly at her, indicating that he knew exactly what he was doing. He bowed dramatically, holding out her hand for her to take. With a nauseous smile, Theodosia took a step toward him, letting him sweep her on to the dance floor.\

* * *

 **Let me know what you guys think!**

 **~Courteney**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter :). Sorry this one took so long to finally publish but I had no idea where exactly I wanted to go with this until I had rewritten it about four times. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

There's no way Heidi had been right about the corset. If anything, Theodosia was having a more difficult time breathing. Although, she thought, maybe that had less to do with the corset and more to do with the devilishly handsome boy who had a hand wrapped around her waist. No, not handsome. Hellish. Sleazy. Inappropriate. Rude. She could think of any number of things that Philip Hamilton was other than handsome.

"For the 'daughter of a prominent politician', Teddy, your steps sure are rusty." Philip taunted, referring to the two times Theodosia had stepped on his feet within the first ten steps of the dance.

"Maybe it's simply that I'm not used to dancing with men who have such big feet." A second later, she quickly added, "And don't call me Teddy. I'm a grown woman."

"Well, I'm sure you know as well as I do what they say about men with big feet," he leaned in and whispered in her ear with hot breath, " _Teddy._ "

Her cheeks immediately inflamed, and she was sure her mouth was hanging open. He flashed her a rather brilliant smile. He knew his effect on her. She tried to step away, but his grasp on her waist was tight. Oh God, her heart was beating fast, and she was sure she was going to faint right there on the dance floor and create her very own scandal. A giant lump formed in her throat and, for a minute, she might have forgotten how to speak.

"You forget yourself, Philip." Her eyes bore holes into his.

"Big shoes." He said simply, before twirling her.

"What?" Now she was truly confused.

"Men with big feet have big shoes. And socks, but I figured that goes without saying. Goodness, Teddy, what were _you_ thinking about?" He made his eyes look as innocent as a child's but his smile was hellish as always.

"The same as you." She replied sheepishly. Then with a renewed sense of confidence she glared back at him. "And I told you not to call me Teddy."

"Why not?" he shrugged. Before Theodosia could grace him with an answer, Philip bent her down in a daring dip. She found all of her breath escaping her and he looked down into her eyes. As rude and rakish as he was, there was no denying that he was handsome. He pulled her back up and pulled her flush against his chest and she could feel the warmth there.

"Because," she said, taking a moment to look around the room. The dance had ended. "I'm not a child anymore. And _we_ are not friends."

"Oh, we're not?" Philip kept his hand resting on the small of her back as he led her to a nearby balcony. Deep down, Theodosia knew she shouldn't go outside alone with him, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She inhaled deeply the moment she got outside.

"No, we're not." She began to rub her hands up and down her arms. For an August night, it was unusually chilly. Yet, something about Philip Hamilton had her feeling unnaturally warm.

"Perhaps you're right. Maybe we're not. _Just_ friends." he waggled his eyebrows and stepped closer to her. It wasn't until he was nearly on top of her that Theodosia knew what it was about Philip that had her so flustered. His breath reeked of alcohol and he had been trying to charm her all night. Presumably so he could get into bed with her – she'd seen enough scandals to know how he wanted this evening to end. He had hidden it well though – she would have never known had he not gotten so close to her.

"No, you're right, Philip. We're not friends. Nothing of the sort. In fact, I find myself quite repulsed by you at the moment." She spun on her heels and attempted to walk away.

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a prude!" he shouted. She turned back and glared at him, warning him not to make a scene. But he stumbled over to her and she figured all the alcohol he must have drank earlier in the evening was finally catching up to him. She'd seen it happen to her father and his friends – they would begin drinking early in the evening in mass quantities and they would seem normal for a while until the effect of their drinking hit them all at once. Theodosia could leave the room for a minute and come back to a roaring drunk group of men. "Theodosia," he purred once he reached her, "Let me tell you, you are a sight for sore eyes."

"Just not your sore eyes." She deflected. In an attempt to escape, she kept walking backwards towards the ballroom but he kept sauntering after her.

"Come on," he said, "Why are you so tense? Let's say you and I go back to my house - I'd loosen you right up." He winked and quickly slid his arm around her waist.

Her hand came up reflexively, striking his left cheek hard enough so cause a stinging sensation in her own hand.

"What the hell!" he shouted, bringing his hand up to nurse his red cheek.

"You stay away from me, Philip Hamilton!" she shouted back. Her eyes were stinging with tears of anger and embarrassment. He'd been trying to play her this whole night and, like an utter fool, she let him. Like every other little girl in New York, she had almost fallen right into his trap. She turned around to reenter the ballroom only to see half of the guests staring her way and whispering behind their hands. She had caused a scandal. With the most scandalous boy in New York.

.

Even in his inebriated state, Philip knew he was the biggest idiot this side of New York. Hell, this side of the Atlantic even. What the _hell_ had he been thinking? He rubbed his temples. After years of friendship, be them though in the past, one would have thought that he knew Theodosia better than to insinuate that they "go back to his house". God damn, this evening was not turning out the way he had planned. Not that he planned to seduce Theodosia Burr. Far from it, actually. He had _planned_ to stay sober all night and dance with Theodosia to keep him out of trouble. The plan would have worked wonderfully, he mused, if only he hadn't drank rather profusely beforehand. But, in his defense, he hadn't just been drinking for the hell of it. Just as he entered the ball room, he saw an old flame of his, Margret Rice, dancing with one of his friends from college. They whispered to each other for a bit, before disappearing down a hallway with a look on their faces that Philip knew all too well. That's when he drank. He couldn't remember how many glasses he'd drank when he saw Theodosia across the ballroom, but the alcohol had hit him hard enough already for him to think it would be a good idea to approach her. And then whatever it was that happened on the balcony happened. He needed a drink again. So he drank. Profusely.

He needed to sit down. Just for a little bit. But he needed to finish his whiskey first. The hostess would be _so_ angry if he wasted her alcohol. He just wanted to sit. Where could he find a chair? He couldn't find a chair and all he wanted to do was sit down. He started walking towards the wall. There were always chairs along the wall. Something distracted him from finding a chair, because he never made it. That something was Charlotte Peterson, whose dress showed off her large bosom rather nicely. Philip had cloudy memories of her trying to sink her claws into him for some time now. They would always make eyes at each other and she usually made a point to brush soft touches along his arms and legs when they would pass each other.

"Philip Hamilton," she purred, similar to the tone he took with _the ladies_ , "I've been looking for you."

"I just need a chair I want a chair." he said, falling backwards a bit. She pulled him forward, and he ran his hand clumsily through her hair.

"I know a place where you can… _relax_." She whispered in his ear, shamelessly fingering the waistband of his trousers right there in the middle of the ballroom. "How does my _empty_ house sound?"

"Mmm," he smiled his age-old smile. He knew exactly where this was going. This was better than sitting down. "I would like that, yes." He swayed a little bit but stayed on his feet. He saw Charlotte's luscious mouth move, but he didn't quite comprehend what she said. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was worried that his family would notice him missing, but when he caught sight of the clock he was relieved to know that they already left. They made their way to Charlotte's coach and rode the short way to her father's house.

"Here we are, Philip." She said, removing herself from his lap after giving him one last kiss. She began to pull Philip up the stairs to her house, but he had to take a moment to breathe, so that he not vomit on her gown. As he bent down to relax, he saw the Burr family coach stop at their house across the street and he watched as Aaron Burr and Theodosia exited ever so calmly. Neither of them saw Philp and Charlotte.

"Come on now, don't keep me waiting." Charlotte purred as she pulled Philip in by the lapels of his coat. The night had only just begun.

* * *

There was a hand on his chest. A warm, female hand. On his naked chest. And he was not in his own bed. Normally, that would make Philip ecstatic. But his head was pounding. And he had to vomit. _Now_. Luckily, he found a bin under the bed just in time. He leaned over the edge of the bed and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bin and the sound of his retching seemed to wake up his female companion. She groaned tiredly and stretched languidly. It was then that Philip turned to see Charlotte Peterson gazing up at him from under hooded lashes. Bits and pieces of memory from the night before began to flood his head. Like a grand ass, he had tried to persuade Theodosia Burr to sleep with him. When she refused, rather violently, he began to drink. Sometime after that he had gone home with Charlotte and slept with her. More than once. His head was spinning and he reached for the bin so he could retch again.

"What happened last night?" He already knew the answer, but it was the only thing he could think to say. He turned toward Charlotte and saw that she was only half wrapped in the sheet, exposing half of her naked body. He quickly turned back around.

"Oh, what," she pouted, "You don't remember? I do." She sat up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her naked chest to his back. She moved to kiss his neck and he flinched. His head was pounding. He was not about to start out his morning with one more bad decision.

"Oh, Charlotte, you know, I'd really love to, but I have to get home." He nudged her off of him and stood up. He was completely naked. He ran his fingers through his hair and began collecting his wrinkled clothes from the floor and putting them on. Charlotte just sat on her bed, wrapped back up in her sheet.

"Well," he began once he was fully clothed in his suit from the night before, "We should definitely do this again some time." He nodded at her halfheartedly and left her alone in her room.

He remembered her saying last night that her father and mother were in Boston for the week, so he walked down the halls of her house without his usual morning-after caution. It didn't take him long to find her front door, but when he looked at the grand clock in in the corner, he hesitated before going outside. It was half past noon. Half of New York would be out already. If anybody saw him walking out of her house like this, his father would definitely hear about it. Better now than never, though, he thought. He opened the door and stepped outside into the blinding sunlight that did not agree with his hellish hangover. The first thing he saw after stepping outside was Theodosia Burr sitting on her porch with a cup of tea and a book.

.

The sight of Philip Hamilton stumbling out of Charlotte Peterson's house in last night's suit was unmistakable. Theodosia was immediately filled with contempt at the sight. Of course, since he couldn't get her into bed, he went after the much easier catch. She set her jaw and took a sip of tea, trying not to pay attention to him. But when she looked back up, he was staring right at her. When their eyes met, his face went white and he nervously rubbed the back of his head. By the look on his face, she could tell he remembered what happened between them the night before and he wasn't exactly happy with himself. She lifted her hand and waved at him with a feminine wiggle of her fingers, a grand smile on her face. He offered back a weak smile and shoved his hands in his pockets before hurrying down the street towards his house. Theodosia closed her book and headed inside.

.

There were about five seconds of solitude when Philip came home before his sister appeared in front of him, shouting all kinds of incoherent things and causing his headache to pound harder and harder. He put his hand up in an attempt to silence her for a moment and he slumped down on the chair in the corner.

"Where in the world were you last night?" she asked, eying his disheveled suit.

"I stayed with a friend, Angie." He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would disappear.

"A friend?" she mused, poking a spot on his neck where he could only assume Charlotte had left a mark.

"Let it go, will you?" he swatted her hand away and stood up. Too fast. He started to sway and black spots began invading his vision. He clutched the back of the chair to steady himself. Before he could make it halfway to the staircase, Angelica called him over again.

"Wait, Philip!" she called, much too loudly, "I'm supposed to go downtown with Theodosia today, but her father can't chaperone anymore and Papa doesn't want us to be alone. Can you come?" She grabbed his sleeve and he looked down to see her big, begging eyes. He sucked in a breath at her request. An entire day with Theodosia was at the very top of his list of activities to avoid at the moment. And he doubted she wanted to see him either.

"Sorry, Angie, I can't. I, uh, I'm really feeling sick." He excused weakly. He started to walk up the stairs.

"Well, hold on," his mother's all-knowing voice floated in from the dining room, "Philip I think an afternoon with the girls is a lovely idea, especially since Mr. Burr can't make it." She looked him up and down with that disapproving look she tended to give him whenever he caused a scandal. As she glanced back up, her eyes caught and narrowed at the sight of the mark that Angelica had noticed only moments before. His hand reflexively flew up to cover it, only causing his mother to raise her eyebrows to a seemingly impossible height. "Plus," she added with a slight smirk, "Some sunlight will help you feel better. Why don't you _freshen up_ and meet your sister back here when you've finished. He opened his mouth to protest but she interrupted him. "And pick up some of that tea I enjoy, will you?" That was his mother's way of saying that the subject was closed. He was accompanying his sister and Theodosia downtown for a "ladies day".

The walk to the Burr home seemed much longer with a hangover. The whole way there, Angelica prattled on about what she planned on doing downtown.

"I really just need some day dresses. I'll be sixteen next month, you know, so I'll need to look like a woman." She placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.

"You don't need to look like a woman just yet." He grumbled. The thought of young men vying for his younger sister's attention was not at all appealing to him.

"You're such a hypocrite, Phil." She punched his arm playfully. He knew she was right – the double standard was unfair, but that didn't make him any more at ease with the idea.

When they approached the house, Philip let Angelica walk up the steps first but she turned to look at him, expecting him to knock on the door. He hesitated a moment, but knocked loudly before stepping back quickly. Aaron Burr himself opened the door, offering Angelica a warm smile and giving Philip a hard glance.

"Mr. Burr," Philip greeted.

"Sir." Burr made no movement to invite them, but instead continued to glare at Philip. The harsh reality was that Philip couldn't tell if he knew what had happened last night between him and his daughter; Aaron Burr never seemed to like Philip. If he did know, though, his father surely would as well by the end of the day.

"I, um, I am here to accompany Ms. Theodosia and my sister downtown." When Burr failed to move or make a sound, Philip added, "We can wait outside if you wish."

"No," he looked over at Angelica, "Please come in. Theodosia will be down shortly." Philip hadn't been inside the house in years, so he followed Angelica to the parlor where they sat in silence for a few minutes before they heard Theodosia coming down the stairs.

The very first thing he noticed about her when she entered the parlor was how unhappy she looked to see him. Her eyes narrowed and he noticed her jaw set. After fiddling with her fingernails for a moment, she rubbed her palms along the sides of her dress. He stood when she entered, but she quickly looked away from him and walked over to Angelica and embraced her.

"Philip," she said slowly, "I did not expect you to be here." The way she ended the sentence made it seem like she had more to say but she thought better of herself when she noticed Angelica quirk her brow with curiosity.

"Since your father is busy today, Angelica asked me to accompany you both downtown." He placed a hand on Angelica's shoulder in an attempt to ground himself.

"And I see you _graciously_ accepted her invitation. Was no one else available?" Her question was nowhere out of the ordinary, but Philip could tell she was not referring to the afternoon's activities, but rather those from the night before. He knew she had seen him leave Charlotte's house this morning and he was sure she was angry about how he treated her the night before. Why wouldn't she be? Hell, even he knew he'd been an ass. Which was a miracle.

"Yes," he bowed in response, "I was delighted with the invitation." Angelica snorted behind him and he brought his foot back to kick her softly in the shin. "It would be my pleasure to chaperone you ladies."

Theodosia was never one to be dramatic, but the ghost of Philip Hamilton was haunting her. At least, that's what it seemed like by the way he failed to speak a word and walked behind her and Angelica the whole way downtown. Sure, she was angry with him, but his attempts to make things less awkward between them only served to elevate tension between the three of them. Well, perhaps just the two of them – Angelica hardly seemed to notice. She was more interested in buying "womanly" dresses and sought Theodosia's "expertise".

"This is where you go, isn't it Theodosia?" Angelica asked, stopping at the door to the modiste's shop that Theodosia liked to frequent. She was fond of the rich colors and fabric offered there. And the modiste herself, Madame Mesnier, was a magician with dresses. She could make a simple day dress seem like something out of a storybook.

"Yes, shall we go in?" Before she was even done with her question, Angelica flung the door open and raced inside, leaving Theodosia and Philip outside.

"After you." He mumbled, holding the door opened. Theodosia nodded peaceably and walked inside holding her hand on the door to keep it open for Philip as well.

The trio was graciously received at the modiste's shop. Apparently, Madame was an old friend of Elizabeth Schuyler's and she was delighted to see two of her children in her store.

"Ah, _bonjour_ , Theodosia," she greeted, kissing her on both cheeks, "Have you and your friend come for a dress?"

" _Non, madame, pas moi_. Just my friend, Angelica." She gestured towards Angelica who curtsied in response.

"As lovely as your namesake, you are," Madame Mesnier replied, embracing Angelica and kissing both of her cheeks as well.

The three followed her into the fitting room where Theodosia helped Angelica pick out fabrics and colors that complimented her hair, skin, and eyes. While discussing fabrics and designs, Theodosia noticed a side to Philip that she had never seen before. Ever the doting brother, Philip continued to tell his sister that she would look lovely in any fabric and that "he should know, being very reliable with the ladies". Normally, the statement would have cast a sneer across Theodosia's face, but she couldn't help but smile. She and Philip both took a seat on the couch in the fitting room while Angelica was measured.

"How was college?" Theodosia asked him, looking straight ahead. She hated the thick silence that enveloped the room, but she didn't want to open anything up to too much conversation.

"It was fine." He replied slowly between a fit of surprised coughs. She glanced over at him and saw that he was also staring straight ahead.

"Fine?" she prompted. In front of them, Angelica erupted in a fit of laughs.

"Oh Philip _loves_ to sell himself short." She said in that just-too-loud voice she used when she didn't want to forget to say something. "He did more than fine. He graduated at the top of his class and is a hell of a poet." She lifted her chin and smiled down at them. Anyone in the room could tell just how much she idolized her big brother. But Angelica's glowing praise wasn't what caught Theodosia's attention.

"Poet?" She turned to Philip and saw his cheeks glow red with embarrassment. "You didn't study law?"

"Oh well, no, I-"

"Well Papa wanted him to because that's what he did," Angelica interrupted, "But all Philip wanted to do was write. I mean, he did study law, but that wasn't his primary focus." She sat still for a minute to avoid getting pricked with pins before excitedly adding, "Oh Philip! You should read Theodosia one of your poems!"

Philip choked on the breath he had just taken and was consumed by a series of coughs. Theodosia smiled at his nervousness; this was far from the Philip she had interacted with in the past year. She wondered where this one had been hiding.

"Oh, no, you know, I can't." he said in a strained tone. "I don't have any with me at the moment. I suppose it will have to wait until another time." His attempt to close the subject backfired, though, as Angelica took the initiative to then invite Theodosia over sometime to hear Philip's poetry. "You really don't have to." Philip laughed nervously at Angelica's request.

"Oh, no, that's perfectly fine." Theodosia said, turning to face him with a smile, "I'd love to hear one sometime."

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed :) Expect a little bit of time skip for in the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated :)**

 **~Courteney**


End file.
